From college to the pros – rooting allegiances
Yesterday, when the St. Louis Rams dropped quarterback Marc Bulger on his 33rd birthday (what a gift, front office), my first thoughts were about former Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford. After his stellar pro day and knowing the fact that the Rams having first pick in the 2010 NFL draft, it seems a virtual lock that this is where Bradford will land.
Then the chatter started – there will be a new population of St. Louis fans in the Oklahoma City if/when my not-very-bold prognostication comes to life. And this fact got me thinking…who do you root for when your favorite college players transition to the bigs? Do you root for the team they go to (i.e. the Rams or the Vikings – see one Adrian Peterson)? Do you root for the player separate from the team?
Before Bulger started cleaning out his locker and Donovan McNabb got traded to the capitol city, an avid OU and Dallas Cowboys fan and friend of mine was concerned by Bradford’s possibilities of becoming a Washington Redskin. How could he turn against his professional team since childhood to watch one of the greats from OU beat up on the ‘Boys? His decision – all but moot now, but nonetheless – is he couldn’t do it.
When purple Adrian Peterson jerseys popped up everywhere around the Sooner State, I wondered – ‘self, would you turn into a team fan just for one player’? And I went with no.
However, I think realized this is in essence why I embraced the Denver Broncos so many years ago. I was indeed a fan as a youngster, because my father was a fan, the team was somewhat close and regionally located to Oklahoma, I was born in Colorado. But I was no die-hard. When Rod Smith went to the organization, I became hooked. Completely. Living and dying by Super Bowl wins and regular season meltdowns.
So the takeaways? Maybe you can indeed adopt a team based on a player. But if you do, here are my friendly suggestions:
- It cannot be the rival franchise of a favorite team – that’s just wrong and undermines and discredits the years and reasons you stuck with your favorite team to begin with. And for that matter, if you’re invested enough in one player to change your rooting ways you must recognize that this switch can’t happen every time a player from your school of choice gets drafted. Choose wisely and sparingly (if at all).
- It cannot be a bandwagon jump-on. If you like Sam Bradford enough to jump on the Rams bandwagon, do it NOW (well, when he is drafted). Don’t wait until the franchise turns around or becomes a winner. I have friends who were and still are Lions fans because of Barry Sanders. And you know those wagon wheels fell off a long time ago.
- If you decide to adopt a team, actually adopt the ‘team’. Don’t just know only your favorite player’s stats and strengths. Invest in the entire organization. Don’t be those girls in the Ford Center wearing purple because L.A. is in town and they like movie stars and Kobe Bryant. Learn at least a bit of basic franchise history and culture, but also don’t pretend you’ve been a lifetime fan if you haven’t been. No one likes a fake know-it-all.
- Embrace the entire experience. And be loyal and true. In my book, being loyal to a team – in good and bad – is what makes the good so great and allows the success to taste all the more sweet.
Sports, at least for me, are something in which I am passionate. Watching the games, being a part of the crowd and making the team feel like your own are just a few of the things that make fandom so great. Don’t squander your opportunities to become a fan of the faces of the franchise in the D-League, minors or on the practice squad, to take a road trip, to wear your new team’s colors with pride or to celebrate or commiserate with like-minded fans.
But above all else, enjoy the ride – however bumpy it may be - and cheer loud and proud!
One Comment on “From college to the pros – rooting allegiances”
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Excellent post Jessica! Makes me feel guilty that I know almost nothing about D League. Not in OKC or LA. lol
For the record, I believe it is easy to separate your player fandom from your team fandom. As you already know, I am _not_ a Kobe fan in the slightest. But I wish the JV team well since they have Griffin now (even though I’m not a college sports fan at all.)
As far as movie star fans, I can’t say I’m mad about Jack being one of ours. I mean, come on, he is supah cool.